Slide Film Options? Expired or not.

Kenj8246 said:
Dave, I've had pretty good luck with expired Kodak E100G and VS. Pics below are 120 E100G expired since 2004.

Hemerocallis @ Mercer Arboretum, Spring TX. by Kenny Johnson, on Flickr
Hemerocallis aka daylily. by Kenny Johnson, on Flickr

Kenny

ps I'm gonna use Ekachrome until I can no longer find it and smile every time I pull a roll from the tank. It's magical to see those positives!! :D:D
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Thanks, Kenny, nice florals!!! The expiry certainly did no harm!:)

You know, you put a smile on my face because you are having FUN and your post shows it! The joy of Photography is a wonderful thing!:):):)
 
Yeah, Dave, I'm 70 and I figure if I have some fun and be positive from here on out, it might, in some small way, make up for the PITA I know I was as a youngster. :)

Kenny
 
Kenj8246 said:
Yeah, Dave, I'm 70 and I figure if I have some fun and be positive from here on out, it might, in some small way, make up for the PITA I know I was as a youngster. :)

Kenny
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Lol... my enlightenment was a similar target but it didn't come about because of age. That would have been too subtle for me. I was blindsided with my bride having two strokes and many, many heart and health problems by 2008.

When I am am asked if I would like to be young again... I politely shake my head... I paid my dues and I don't want to do that again but I can help others so that is what I do now.:)
 
dave lackey said:
Recently, slide film has returned to my interest. Looking back over all the years, black and white film and slide film have accounted for the majority of my significant "keepers". But I have not shot slide film much in the past ten years.

I am shooting some 120 Velvia at the moment, and I have sime 35mm Velvia and expired Provia waiting in queue.

I am very much planning to cut down 120 slide film for my 127 needs.

What are my options for any format to use slide film these days? It seems that expired slide film works pretty well... but how long expired?

Can anyone recommend specific expired slide films that may be found and have a good potential for being useable?:):):)
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The current, modern Fujichrome reversal films are quite robust and stable in my experience: I've done several storage tests over the years with unexposed film:

- I've used Fujichrome Provia 100F, Provia 400X, Astia 100F and Velvia 50 which have been almost three years behind their guarantee date, and were stored at room temperature (not cold stored): all have been absolutely fine
- I've used all kinds of different Fujichrome reversal films and Ektachrome 100G and Elite Chrome 100 which have been cold stored in the fridge after the purchase (fresh), and were about six years behind their guarantee date after this cold storage: all have been perfect
- I've used reversal films stored in the freezer for about eight years: All have been perfect
- a friend of mine has used reversal films which have been frozen for ten years: they were perfect.

But: I've had control over the storage conditions. I've put them by myself into the fridge / freezer after I've bought them. So I know the stoarge conditions have been good.
I would never buy expired film from anyone!
Because I don't know how it have been stored.

The best method is to buy fresh reversal film regularly! That keeps the manufacturer line(s) running. And with Provia 100F, Velvia 50 and 100 we have the best reversal films ever.

And very important:
Even today fresh reversal film is cheap!
Because:
1. The overall costs per shot can be lower compared to negative film. With reversal film you already have a finished picture with highest quality after processing. No need for additional expensive or labour intensive scanning or printing. You can cut these additional costs you always have with negative film.
A slide on the lighttable under an excellent loupe delivers outstanding quality, much much better than any scanned picture on a computer monitor (because you have a quality reduction both by scanning, and by the limits and very low resolution of the computer monitor).
And slide projection of course is a league of its own, with absolutely unsurpassed picture quality.

2. Reversal film delivers finer grain, better resolution and better sharpness than color negative film. And it is more flexible, you have more usage options, much more variety: You can just hold the slide up to the light and enjoy it, you can look at it enlarged by a slide viewer or a slide loupe, you can project it, you can scan it, you can make outstanding prints from your scans (which often even look much better than scanned negatives because of the better detail rendition), you can make direct BW prints with direct BW paper.
Whereas with negative film you only have two options: printing and scanning.
 
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